Albuquerque families may soon see greener parks after City Councilor Dan Lewis introduced an emergency resolution to spend $2 million from city reserves on immediate turf replacement, saying budget cuts left fields patchy and overrun with weeds.
The proposed resolution, R-25-183, introduced Aug. 18, targets parks citywide that are suffering from dead grass and weeds, making fields unsafe or unusable for children and seniors. Lewis blames Mayor Tim Keller’s administration for requesting $1 million less for park maintenance in the FY2026 budget, while city officials say staffing shortages, weather and other factors caused the decline.
Lewis said residents are documenting the city’s declining parks. “I actually asked a lot of people from the community of Ventana Ranch around Cottonwood to send in pictures of neighborhood parks right now,” he said at the Aug. 18 council meeting.
“I would admit and say that there’s some disaster parks all over the city and certainly in my district,” he said.
The problems Lewis described are formalized in his resolution, which declares “much of the turf grass in the City’s parks shows signs of significant deterioration” and that parks are “overrun with weeds, including silverleaf nightshade, spurge and puncture vines.”
“Turf grass across Albuquerque is dead or dying, with weeds overrunning fields and open spaces,” Lewis said in his resolution announcement.
During a recent council meeting, he described seeing parks with “dead, dead dirt” that “used to be pristine for 15-20 years.” According to the resolution, the deteriorating conditions mean parks lose their “value as safe, usable spaces for families, children and seniors.”
“This is not just about dead grass — it is about credibility, accountability and restoring trust with the public,” Lewis said.
The Blame Game
The emergency resolution comes amid a debate over the cause of Albuquerque’s deteriorating parks. Lewis blames neglect, while city officials point to staffing shortages, weather and seasonal conditions.
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Matthew Whelan said the Parks Department is addressing the issues and called them “one of our priorities.” He added that the city plans to use outside contractors to help with maintenance due to staffing shortages.
Lewis, however, blames budget decisions during this year’s process, saying the administration requested $1 million less for park maintenance in the 2026 budget than the previous year.
In a statement to CityDesk, Parks Director Dave Simon disputed Lewis’s funding claims, saying “the FY26 Parks and Recreation Department (PRD) budget actually increased by $1.7 million over FY25” and accused Lewis of trying to “strip funding from the PRD budget when it was considered last May.”
“We specifically had conversations with the director, with the administration, asking if this budget was enough to maintain a high-quality standard of parks in our city,” Lewis said at the council meeting. “And you know, the director said, ‘Yes, it is.’”
He noted constituents were later told the issues were a “budgetary issue,” a claim Whelan said he could not fully explain. “I can’t speak exactly, because I don’t know exactly what was said… I can’t control what an employee would say,” Whelan said.
Budget documents confirm Simon’s claim that funding increased.
The FY2026 Parks and Recreation Department budget totals $57,099,000, up from $50,901,000 in FY2025, a $6.2 million increase. Simon’s statement of a “$1.7 million increase over FY25” is correct for the General Fund, which rose from $49,584,000 to $51,391,000.
This contradicts Lewis’s claim that the administration requested “$1 million less than the previous year,” showing the Parks’ funding grew rather than declined.
Lewis also criticized the administration on social media.
“Clearly the administration neglected our parks this Summer — claimed ‘budgetary’ issues as the reason for the terrible condition of City neighborhood parks, yet requested $1 million less than last year to maintain them,” he posted.
Simon said Lewis’s claims are “off-base” and said parks “are not facing an emergency” but are “in good condition.”
Simon touted the city’s ranking “in the top 25% of U.S. park systems” and said $150 million has been invested under Mayor Keller. He added that “at this point, late in a hot summer, some grass areas are bound to show stress. After the monsoon season, weeds are at their peak.”
The clashing reasons have underlined disagreements over city budget priorities and park maintenance responsibilities, with Lewis warning that delays could drive up costs and extend park closures.
Resolution Details
Councilor Dan Lewis’s resolution calls for at least $2 million from the city’s fund balance to begin immediate park repairs. The plan would give administrators until Dec. 1 to deliver a detailed repair proposal and require monthly updates until the money is spent.
The measure’s next stop will likely be the Finance and Government Operations Committee, which meets Sept. 8. Lewis said waiting too long could mean “total replacement of additional turf grass areas, which would cost more and take those parks offline for at least a year.”